I’ve never owned a Subaru or plan to but I can appreciate their designs and purpose. This one was nice.

I promise I will be around for a while because I love watching your videos, Tom! Job well done as always!

I have a Subaru Impreza hatchback sport I absolutely love it I've had it for years it's so durable it's not the flashiest thing nor is it the fastest thing in the world it's a little noisy but the one thing I love about Subaru is a fact that they are always consistent and you can always tell that the engineering is always made right

I always love your videos Tom. You simply make sense, which can be rare. If they would put more power in this car I’d buy it for sure.

Very well done and reviewed video! No gimmicks or weird pitch angles. Just a professional style and informative review

Thanks for yet another great review, Tom!

You always do a great job with your videos!

What a terrific job on this video!

Thanks for the 60fps video and not joining the plague of 24fps videos that are driving me insane!

As you well know, Tom, Subar-ites make up a large and militant cult here in the Pacific Northwest. (To be fair, it's a very polite cult.) Any criticism of a Subaru will likely eliminate invitations to family and neighborhood gatherings. I, too, was surprised to find that New England hosts even more Subaru owners than the PNW. But then I discovered that residents of the People's Republic of Vermont are required to own at least one Subaru. And there's a movement in New Hampshire to modify the state's motto from "Live Free or Die", to "Live With a Subaru or Die." Traditionally, the Forester is Subaru's best selling model. But in 2021 the Outback and Forester are neck and neck as the Outback's sales increased by about 16% while the Forester's have remained flat compared to last year. Perhaps the availability of a turbo version of the 4 banger in the Outback that's lacking in the Forester is a factor. Or perhaps the jacked up wagon looks of the Outback trumps the proud frumpiness of the Forester. (The dismal sales of the larger 3 row Ascent tops only the even worse sales of the Mazda CX-9 among mainstream 3 row SUVs. But that's a topic for another time.)

This was a great review! I really enjoyed it!

Never regret a single moment subscribed to your channel Tom and stay well and..dry for more informative videos! lol

Great review Tom, thanks.

Awesome beautiful review, I absolutely love my 2021 Forester, I cant cant even think of another SUV more suited to my needs, wants or desires, does everything beautifully.

The Best and Honest review of this forester.. Yes!! We ALL want the Turbo Forester to return.. but Subaru has been looking the other way for years.. Hopefully it will arrive just after the return of the KING.. Yeah, the STI..

LOL...I traded in my Ascent for the SFW and specifically asked the salesman if the security shade stored away by the spare tire and he said "no". I just got it out of the garage and put it in there...THANK YOU!!!!

Another great review, Tom. I've quickly noticed that Subaru's have a major footprint out here no matter the year. This model caught my eye in person at the car show with its looks and ride height. The "Wilderness" badging seems a bit excessive now that your b-roll pointed out though.

“You get see the forest from the Forester” I see what you did there.😂 Great and entertaining review as always.

I appreciate the review, Tom. Just found it by doing a search. I'm considering getting a Forester Wilderness. I have one "reserved" for me in fact here in CA. They are coming in later this month. I'd be a first time Subaru buyer, so appreciate the details you went over with the tech and driving features. The closeups of the inside were a really nice part of that too. Well done. Now I feel better about possibly buying the vehicle.

Great Review Tom, as allways. O used to own a couple of Subarus, they are quite Unique, there is nothing like it in Japan...

Tom, I really wish you had an KZfaq empire because, if there's someone who deserves it, that someone is you!

Best video that I've seen on the Wilderness so far. My wife has one on order (in this colour) to replace her 15 year old Forester.

We just bought one of these (pick it up this week). I agree with Tom's assessment. It's not perfect, but it seems to do so many things well, as a package, it's pretty good. Especially for its price. While I like more power as much as the next person, that would just increase the cost, complexity (possibly reduce reliability) and fuel consumption. From what I've seen, the regular 2.5L engine used here seems to be fine (adequate). It's not a sports car and you're usually just stuck behind other vehicles in traffic anyway. We weren't planning on buying a new vehicle for a couple more years, but they gave us a reasonable value on our trade in (because used vehicles prices are high) and the one we bought was available right away (came in for customer order, but they changed their mind after waiting so long). It's our first Subaru, but we were really impressed with the test drive as it seems to have most of what we want, and my wife really likes the looks. She's kind of wanted a "truck" or "Jeep" looking vehicle for a few years, but they are expensive and often too big or come with too many compromises as a daily driver. This trim of Forester seems to give you some of that off road look and capability without sacrificing too much of your daily driver wants and needs.

Great video, thanks for the review. Super informative. PLEASE tell me what music track that was in the beginning of the video. Is it from Epidemic Sound?

A very practical vehicle with all parts that seem to perform well..thanks

Thank you for continuing to call out how rear seats do or don't slide fore and aft! Every car should offer that feature. Adjustable rear seat leg room would be more readily used and appreciated than people realize. More often than not the trunk isn't packed to the gills. Dipping into some of that space by sliding those seats back would make sense

I'm curious about what the Solterra's offroading capabilities are compared to the Forester wilderness. I'm presuming it's only meant for light offroading and I'm not too keen to cause a leak in the battery cooling system by trying something too crazy.

Nice review. I love Subarus, but like you I would love a turbo in this. Is that the same 2.5L boxer they drop into the Sport and Limited Crosstrek (182HP)?

I watch this review and recall you did a memorable (to me anyway) review of the 2015 STI. I currently drive a 2019 STi after a 2006, 2009, 2015 sti.

"Trees From the Forester ".. Brilliant , hope more caught it:)

great video! my mother in law has one of these. she loves it! I like it a a lot too

I’d like to see the XT variant with the 2.4L turbo-4 in the Forester.

well done. Thanks!

Good video. first time seeing your videos

Nice to see you wife aiming for the apex there 👏🏻👍🏻😎

Beautiful neighborhood Tom!

Tom as always I love your reviews! The Forester Wilderness is nice looking, could use a better engine option. I feel if they are going to lose miles per gallon they should at least up the power. I do love the brand though.

I wonder if the touchy throttle issue has been fixed for all the 2022 foresters or just the wilderness version?

I love my 2021 Forester Touring (we have three Subaru Foresters in our family). In your running footage, were those small antlers on the deer that made a cameo?

I have a 2014 legacy with eyesight which has been great. I’ve been waiting for better lane centering in my next car, without ping-ponging in the lane. This may be the one. Any more comments on this feature will be appreciated.

Nice review , how do you campare with Nissan rogue 2021 SL with this model ?. Thanks

no turbo no care. i loved my forester xt, fantastic vehicle. when they killed off the turbo models i really couldnt understand the move.

Have you towed with it? Like wotha trailer like a travel trailer or pop up trailer ? How would it do?

Love what they did with the outback and forester. Supposedly crosstrek is also coming with wilderness package. Would love one of these awesome vehicles but out of my price range. Watched several other videos of wilderness models really tackling off road with ease. They are pushing these models and they are meeting the challenges. AMAZING job Subaru.

Funny that the wilderness trim adds the euro style rear lower window trim.

Subscribed. Hopefully Subaru puts a turbo diesel in that for the Australian market. Loved this video btw.

The Subaru logo looks nice, with that deep blue effect. Never knew that fun fact about the meaning of 'Subaru' however, neat. It sounds a lot better than FUJI HEAVY INDUSTRIES LTD, too. edit: they changed to Subaru Corporation, doh.

I really want to get the new forester wilderness but I worry about reliability.Does anybody have any info they can share

This is definitely my next car will trade my highlander for this wilderness to beat the Toronto street potholes!🇨🇦🍁👍

Aloha! Thanks for this video. Just put down my deposit for one of these on Saturday (in white). Will have it in two weeks. Had a wonderful experience at my local Subaru dealer. Great customer service, no pressure, no B.S., and NO DEALER MARKUP - hooray! Test drove two cars, then went into the dealer office to sort out numbers. Out of there in two hours. I can’t recommend Subaru highly enough.

Thanks for sharing Tom. I like the the looks of the Forester Wilderness vs the Outback... as a fellow Miata/MX-5 owner curious what generation you own? Thank you!

I'm trying to decide between the Wilderness and the Sport trims. The Sport is likely capable enough for my offroading needs, but I like having more capability than I need, plus the Wilderness is a cooler looking design. The upgraded transmission and better towing alone are probably worth the price difference, but the 3-5 mpg penalty is harder to overlook since I commute almost 100 miles daily. Subaru could probably cut the price of the Wilderness by $500 just by reducing the absurd number of Wilderness badges.

Great review! But c'mon Subaru, where is the turbo?

Love your work Tom - specially the excellent photography and the personal touches when your family and friends make the occasional appearance. Cars are interwoven into our lives, so the people we care about belong there, right? Just one piece of constructive criticism (please dont be offended, I'm honestly trying to be helpful): about the red light/green light thing - for me it's too wordy and would have a lot more impact if you limited it to very brief bullet points so it can all be taken in at a glance. Just my opinion - I'm sure you will feel free to ignore me and that's fine!😎 Keep up the good work - I look forward to your videos 👍

Came for the thumbnail of the Wilderness in the wilderness. Saw a guy driving this car in his back yard. Meh. Still, thumbs-up. I have this vehicle and love it. Northern New Hampshire, in my town 90% of our roads are mountain: dirt and gravel and the Wilderness is second only to a 4x4 pickup truck. My other vehicle is a F150 3.5L twin turbo 4x4 and this Wilderness keeps up with it fine for daily driving in winter. Subies are everywhere here in the northern northeast.

So many better choices.

Omg that looks like my alley here in west Seattle 🤣🤣

Tom, my Dealer's accessories manager phoned me to let me know Subaru has told him that the trailer hitch for the wilderness will be released in May. He did not specify the first or last of May. He had no other Specs on the hitch. Would you confirm this info with your sources? Thanks, Jack Palmer

I assume there's an XT model coming, just like the Outback version that's available now. More power really helps these heavy cars, especially when entering highways or passing. I have a 2013 Outback and really regret sometimes not getting the V-6 version that was available then. I'm likely to buy another Outback at some point, so it would definitely be the XT with the more robust 260-hp boxer.

No turbo version?.. I loved the 2 I've owned

We just ordered our Forester Wilderness in Geyser Blue with the Harmon Kardone upgrade and towing package, cannot wait to get it but looks like I need to be patient! Most likely I'll end up with the 2023 model because their so far behind but I can wait, buying this used for more money at this moment is Never going to happen! I would rather walk than buy a used car for more than a new one.

Cool. Rally on

15.1 mpg real driving?

Seems nice but the cvt won’t get you up a decent hill, especially with rocks and dirt. I’ve had the outback wilderness slip transmission when going up steep hills and tough ish rocks. So….. get you further into the woods yes but not as far as you might want

Just a note: The deer was a he -- a spike buck. Otherwise, flawless review. :)

Tom, I phoned Subaru Customer support today and they confirmed the trailer hitch for the wilderness is in manufacturing and will be released in May. They could not specify when in May.

Update on trailer hitch: My dealer says there is now a part number for the trailer hitch. It will be a two inch receiver. However, the hitch has not been released yet. He had no information on the release date or the cost either. Ordered my forester on 10/4 and is supposed to be delivered to the dealership tomorrow per the dealership.

Trees from the Forester! Ha!

If they make a version of this on crosstrek. It will sold out in a day Problem with subaru aftermarket upgrade is the warranty and parts. Most aftermarket upgrades are cheap in quality and never last long

We live 5 miles from a small town in north central WA state. We average 4 ft of snow every winter. We live on a private road, which we have to maintain. Every time we turn onto our road from a county road we have to go into X mode just to get to our driveway. We LOVE our Outback. Actually the Outback is my wife’s car. I’m needing to replace my 11 year old Rav Limited 4WD with 287K miles. I will miss the power of the 3.5 V6 with 269hp. We get 24-26 mpg on the freeway, but my wife’s Non Turbo Outback only gets 22-23 mpg on the freeway. I’m kind of afraid to buy the Forester bc it has a gutless 2.5 4 cyl with 182 hp. Since our Outback only gets 22-23 mpg I’m afraid that the Forester will also get the same mileage and be GUTLESS, like the Outback. Also I HATE the interior colors. Gloomy Grey and Boring Black was popular in 1990, but that was 32 years ago. I also HATE Vinyl interior that was popular in the 70s. I’ve never seen Gloomy Grey dirt and the tan or brown dirt will look awful on the FUGLY Grey Vinyl. Why doesn’t Subaru actually listen to what their customers prefer when it comes to interior and exterior colors? It’s a proven fact that when there’s wars, National disasters, economy problems people tend to choose darker depressing colors on their cars. Obviously 32 years ago people were depressed and that’s when Gloomy Grey and Boring Black became popular. I’m sick and tired of Every automobile manufacturers forcing their customers into depressing colors.

Thanks Tom. Old curmudgeon here who feels that Subaru lost its mojo when it became a 'Toyota' brand.

Subaru does not offer a trailer hitch for this trim level at this time. Yet it has a published towing capacity of 3,000 pounds. Is there a secret tractor beam option available? Am I stuck with a third party hitch that undermines my clearance and approach/departing angles? The car was released in September and it is now December. Subaru is still mum about it. Perhaps they will give you an answer.

I don’t know why, but Subaru won’t put the engines that the customer wants. No 2.4 turbo in the forester. No 2.5 in the Impreza.

The deer wasn't a she, it was a spike buck. maybe a yearling or 2. Nice car review!

Nice video. Gotta remind the evil twin that 🎅 is watching. 😉

When will there be an all electric Forester? 2023?

It has heated steering wheel tho, mine has it.

Okay Tom it’s time to drop the reference to CVT’s being rubber bandy. For the last two years (at least) every car you’ve driven with a CVT you state it drives just fine. Now if it occurs in a review it will be the exception, not the former rule.

Thanks for the hand motions explaining the boxer engine Tom. It would be nice if the Wilderness package was available as an appearance package without the mpg penalty. Great review as always.

That's funny you said 15K more, well the outback is $7000 more if you want to buy it now! Because of market prices! That is insane. I'm sure this car for it's badge will be $9K over market price if you want to buy it now.

25 city mpg per EPA but the odometer actually reads 15.1 mpg in real world driving?!

I'd say it's a toss up between the Forester/Outback and Tacoma/4Runner as the official cars of the PNW. Close 2nd to those would be the Prius.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reviews

Why 18" Wheels? Why are the Wheel option so big. With such a large Wheel there is less side wall on tire. A lower profile tire will reduce the ride quality, increase the noise and be more likely to be punctured off road because higher tire pressure is needed. Also, with lower profile tires your payload capacity is typically reduced when compared to a higher profile tire with a smaller wheel. For a Small SUV designed more for Off-road use there should be a smaller wheel option with a higher profile tire. The Tires for a smaller wheel would most likely cost less as well. Reducing the cost of ownership.

Back seat reclines

Ok I'm gonna guess you were in the green lake area, and a little magnolia. Am I close?

Wonder how this stacks up against my cherokee trailhawk.

Should have just waited to make video in terrain that was applicable

Nice, but my rav4 trd with dealer installed pro pac has larger tires, more ground clearance, and a regular automatic

Appreciate Subaru still having CD players in their cars. Digital definitely has its benefits, but won't beat the sound quality of a CD.

We need a Wilderness XT trim for the XV Crosstrek, Outback and Forester with a proper manual stick shift Subaru fan boys. Please give that option to real piston heads! I repeat again: Please give that option to real piston heads! We do miss old subi driving dynamics!!! No real Subaru driver will mind paying extra on gas by not compromising on their driving feel! CVT's might be more fuel efficient but they wear out when you reach 150000km and need to be replaced and will cost a fortune! At least stick to a 6 auto box like Tacoma's and 4Runners plus a stick option! Keep us loyal for ever..

Wish you had waited until you could actually take it off-road. It has increased ground clearance and worse gas mileage. If it's not capable off-road, I would go with the regular Forester. Can't really tell from this review.

I always enjoy your videos. Technically the deer was not a she, with the antlers signifying a male.

The roads were too bad to go off road.. sounds like the wilderness isn’t too wild!

Hello Tom Hello wifey Hello twin brother All the love from Arabia

I'm sure it was to help compensate for the rather puny engine for this size / weight / purpose of vehicle, but they wheels look like they are 4 spare tires and not what the car should have. It doesn't need 35 inch tires but something that doesn't tuck into the wheel wells would help the appearance. At least the Outback gets the turbo. I think that's the one to have.

Farther

Outback Wilderness has better ground clearance due to longer wheelbase, according to Subaru Subaru is all the ability that most people “need”

Tom, The 5 mpg penalty that comes with this Wilderness is brutal. When is Subaru finally going to beg, borrow or steal a credible Hybrid system from big brother Toyota?

Thank God they have their masks on in the cars alone!🤦‍♂️